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I Live in Fear

Synopsis

Kiichi Nakajima (Toshirō Mifune), an elderly foundry owner convinced that Japan will be affected by an imminent nuclear war, resolves to move his family to safety in Brazil. His family decides to have him ruled incompetent and Dr. Harada (Takashi Shimura), a Domestic Court counselor, attempts to arbitrate.

The 8th film featuring Toshirō Mifune and Takashi Shimura under the direction of Akira Kurosawa. They would make 7 more together and even several others with different pairings of only two of the three. I Live in Fear gets overshadowed by those films for the simple fact that these three didn't make one masterpiece together, but several. Make no mistake though, this is still a great film, it's just a very specific time in Japan's public consciousness, one that isn't exactly much discussed in North America so the international appeal might not be there.

The film revolves around Kiichi Nakajima, brilliantly portrayed by an almost unrecognizable Toshirō Mifune, a man that…

This isn't a Kurosawa film that gets a mention very often. It says so much about post-war Japan; communicates the values in this society. There is added value. Kurosawa is a man whose vision is expressed in so many movies that communicate directly with Western audiences about Japanese history and culture. His samurai classics are as easy to relate to our times as a Shakespearean story. Both are separated from us by a great chasm of time; which attenuates the signal and reduces the misunderstandings of culture. 500 years is a much vaster distance than 5,000 miles (discuss). So Kurosawa provides his own Rosetta stone, and the Yojimbo story speaks as directly to us as the Robin Hood legend does.…

An elderly patriach and business owner has become gripped with fear that Japan will be the target of further nuclear attacks. He plans to move his entire extended family to Brazil for safety but the family take him to domestic court in an attempt to have him certified as non compos mentis so they can remain in Japan and carry on their normal lives.

The first thing that struck me about the film was Toshiro Mifune's amazing turn as the elderly Kiichi Nakajima. He is pretty much unrecognizable from a cursory glance at the cover and publicity pictures so I started watching the film (as part of BFI's Classic Kurosawa set) without knowing he was in it! Mifune bends his…

This little-seen Kurosawa film was released between "Seven Samurai" and "Throne of Blood" -- and it couldn't be more different than those two period pieces.

I really enjoy watching Kurosawa's films set in the post-WWII years in Japan. They convey the sense of devastation from the country's loss and of its quick rebuilding. "Drunken Angel," "Stray Dog," and "The Quiet Duel" get the most attention as genre movies with a social conscience.

"I Live In Fear" is a flat-out drama of family conflict, changing social mores, the threat of man's self-destruction from the H-bomb. This may have been the first film to ever address nuclear holocaust -- and how interesting it is that it is from the Japanese perspective!

I was really surprised at how good I Live in Fear was. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from it, but it turned out to be one of Kurosawa's best (second tier, maybe, but that’s great for a Kurosawa film). While Mifune initially seemed wrong for the part, he ended up being very powerful as the head of the Nakajima family. One of my biggest criticisms would have to be the smallness of Takashi Shimura's role. I think he was underused in the film. His character was curious and sympathetic towards Mifune's character, and I feel like I didn't get to see enough of that dynamic. Otherwise, Kurosawa's direction of this was excellent- the pacing was smooth and the camera was…

In many ways this can be viewed as Kurosawa's indirect take on Hamlet where we have a character (Mifune) pronounced mad by everyone in his life bar one outsider in the form of Takeshi Shimura's perceptible doctor. The quiet genius of this film is that much like Shakespeare's great lead, we are never deliberately led to believe one prognosis or another, other than Mifune's fear of nuclear destruction is palpable and real in the sweltering milieu of post-nuclear Japan. Kurosawa transfers this squalid discomfort through expert use of weather and perhaps most gravely, utter familial despondency in a great time of need. Without doubt this is one of Kurosawa's hidden gems with a firm warning of the effects of social diagnosis.

Somewhere in the beginning of the film I was thinking to myself that I Live in Fear seems to be one of the few Kurosawa films focused on a single theme, the A-bomb and its surrounding emotions. But he's probably the greatest director of all time, so as the film progresses we get layer upon layer of social themes, more than I could possibly write or remember.

I Live in Fear is a very good film, but sandwiched between like TEN classics, so it's probably under-viewed. Toshiro Mifune plays an older man who is terribly afraid of potential nuclear war, and wants to move his family out of Japan. He is wealthy and has the means to do so, but…

"I Live in Fear" (also called "Record of a Living Being") is part of Kurosawa's post-World War II films and it's a powerhouse. An aging industrialist is petrified of another atomic bomb landing in Japan, so he decides to move his entire family to Brazil. His family is not too keen on this, so they file a petition in court to have him declared incompetent. The film deals so honestly with the fears of nuclear war that ran rampant at the times. This is definitely one of Kurosawa's lesser known masterpieces.

Akira Kurosawa's last film on post-war affairs tackles our innermost concerns of a world out of balance and through those fears, portrays our dismay-like a child afraid of things that are far-fetched and seemingly non-existent-through a disillusioned, aging industrialist deeply affected by his innate love for his greedy offspring, who care for nothing more but their financial prospects sustained by their father's own sweat and tears. Excelled by a starkly convincing performance by mid-30's Mifune in elderly-applied cosmetics, I Live in Fear expressed to me and most likely others, Kurosawa's concern for more traditional values in a modern society fueled by selfish monetary concerns, and how future generations, who are more well off and pampered, react to their parents' idealism as the craftsmen of a prosperous society.

Not one Kurosawa's best, but definitely not among his worst, this film explores the intersection between greed, family, and nuclear paranoia. Is Mifune's character a madman, or is he simply reacting in the sanest way possible to the threat of annihilation? It is fascinating to see Kurosawa choose Mifune for the role of a worn-out old man, and I can see why...the character demands an intensity and anger that only Mifune could convey. At this point, Kurosawa's company of actors were being employed to maximum effect, with roles that seem to work with their strengths as performers perfectly.

One of Kurosawa's lesser known projects, but i really quite like it. This is my second viewing. Mifune's performance as an older man who lives in constant fear of the atomic bomb is outstanding. Being so used to his usual powerful, youthful, non-fearing characters this one was quite a shock to the system for me. His performance is so believable to me and you really feel sympathetic to him. His family's behavior is atrocious towards him and they are only interested in their inheritance. Not to spoil anymore plot points ill leave it at that. If you're a Kurosawa and/or Mifune fan, do yourself a favor and see this film.

Unusual Kurosawa film about a man who is so frightened of nuclear weapons that he plans to move his family to Brazil. Mifune is impressive playing a much older character, but his character is unsympathetic and dictatorial that he lacks sympathy. Surprising for me was how open the main character could be about his multiple younger mistresses and their children with him.

What can even be said about this nearly forgotten Kurosawa-Mifune-Shimura collaboration? It captures a very real concern, that even sixty years later is still relevant.

I just came from a screening as a part of the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and as much as I want to write something intelligent of the film, I can't. The last time I felt so emotionally distraught was after Grave of the Fireflies. How dare those Japanese make such emotional powerful and poetic films!

This would make for a good double-bill with the original 1954 version of Gozilla.

Kurosawa never fails to surprise. This feature provides an interesting look at a nation still recovering from catastrophe, and a family too blind and selfish to realize they want to be together. Although there are problems here, such as the lack of balance between the patriarchal character and the sympathetic dentist, there is also much food for thought. The family dynamics here remind a little of Ozu, but the result is more overtly tragic. Somewhat claustrophobic compositions propel the emotions.

The 8th film featuring Toshirō Mifune and Takashi Shimura under the direction of Akira Kurosawa. They would make 7 more together and even several others with different pairings of only two of the three. I Live in Fear gets overshadowed by those films for the simple fact that these three didn't make one masterpiece together, but several. Make no mistake though, this is still a great film, it's just a very specific time in Japan's public consciousness, one that isn't exactly much discussed in North America so the international appeal might not be there.

The film revolves around Kiichi Nakajima, brilliantly portrayed by an almost unrecognizable Toshirō Mifune, a man that…